New Year, Same Viruses: Post-Holiday ‘Tridemic’ Uptick Monitored
January 4, 2023
Morning Briefing
State officials and hospital systems in New York and California are on alert for a surge in covid, RSV, and flu cases after the holiday season. Public health experts urge the federal government to take greater mitigation steps now.
National Abortion Ban On List Of Advocacy Groups’ House Demands
January 4, 2023
Morning Briefing
Religious and anti-abortion advocacy groups are pushing Republicans to use their new House majority to pass reproductive measures like a national abortion ban at 6 weeks, stop telemedicine access to abortion pills, and defund Planned Parenthood — even though none of those bills would pass in Senate or be signed by President Joe Biden.
Tirzepatide Works For Weight Loss, But May Be Pricey; Questions Over Diabetes Drug’s Power Against Dementia
January 4, 2023
Morning Briefing
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, January 4, 2023
January 4, 2023
Morning Briefing
Wednesday’s roundup covers abortion pills, “tripledemic” cases, vaccine misinformation, social media, insurers, Medicare, fentanyl, and more.
FDA Allows Abortion Pill Prescription To Be Filled At Retail Pharmacies
January 4, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Food and Drug Administration made a regulatory change Tuesday that opens the door for retail pharmacies to dispense mifepristone. The pill could previously only be offered by clinics, doctors or mail-order pharmacies. The move could increase access to a medicated abortion, though state laws in 12 states would ban sales.
First Edition: January 4, 2023
January 4, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Watch: Patient Sent to Collections for Surgery She Never Had
January 4, 2023
KFF Health News Original
KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss how difficult a clerical error can be to fix and how patients can respond if it happens to them.
Many Families With Unaffordable Employer Coverage Now Eligible for Covered California Subsidies
By Bernard J. Wolfson
January 4, 2023
KFF Health News Original
If family coverage on an employer-sponsored plan is too expensive, a worker’s spouse and dependents may be eligible for Affordable Care Act subsidies under a new federal rule.
Public Health Agencies Try to Restore Trust as They Fight Misinformation
By Lauren Sausser
January 4, 2023
KFF Health News Original
As public health departments work on improving their message, the skepticism and mistrust often reserved for covid-19 vaccines now threaten other public health priorities, including flu shots and childhood vaccines.
Siete preguntas que una persona mayor debe hacer antes de someterse a una cirugía compleja
By Judith Graham
January 3, 2023
KFF Health News Original
En muchos casos, la cirugía puede salvar la vida del paciente o mejorar su calidad de vida. Pero la edad avanzada los expone a un mayor riesgo de resultados no deseados, como dificultades en las actividades cotidianas, hospitalizaciones prolongadas, problemas de movilidad y pérdida de independencia.
Nueva herramienta ayudaría a comparar costos de hasta 500 servicios médicos
By Julie Appleby
January 3, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Desde el 1 de enero, las aseguradoras y los empleadores que ofrecen planes de salud deben proporcionar calculadoras en línea para que los pacientes obtengan estimaciones detalladas de lo que deberán por una variedad de servicios y medicamentos, teniendo en cuenta sus deducibles y copagos.
Federal Team Helping During Surge At New Mexico Children’s Hospital
January 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
AP reports that the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital has been “overwhelmed” with patients, during a surge in RSV, covid and flu. Also: the closure of a covid vaccination site at the Mall of America, concerns over a D.C. Council member’s health, the Ohio measles outbreak and more.
Partial Solution Reached In NYC Nurse Contract Talks; Strike Still Looms
January 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
The AP says that even though some nurses at one hospital reached a “tentative” agreement hours before their contract was due to expire, a possible strike by around 4,000 nurses is still a threat. Separately, GE will spin off its health unit, Gilead buys rights to a cancer therapy, and more.
Financing Quickly Gaining Ground In World Of Pricey Health Care
January 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
Stat reports that buy now-pay later platforms like Afterpay and Affirm are quickly exploring ways to offer loans to patients for health services. Other news on expected 2023 trends include Americans’ shifting political priorities, hospital changes, and insurance coverage.
Hemophilia B Treatment Has Late-Stage Study Success
January 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
Pfizer says its experimental gene therapy treatment for hemophilia B met its main goal in a study — with a single dose outperforming current care standards. Other research covers women’s higher levels of empathy, covid vaccines, hydration’s link to lower disease risk, and more.
Young Kids Eating Cannabis Edibles By Accident Rose Sharply Over 5 Years
January 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
A new study published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics points to a 1,375% increase in calls to poison control centers from 2017 to 2021. In other public health news: an alfalfa sprout recall, ketamine and the health of Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills.
Industry Expects Changes With Sanders At Helm Of Senate Health Panel
January 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
Among the new term’s looming congressional changes that will shape health policy is Sen. Bernie Sanders’ leadership of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Drug pricing is also expected to be a key 2023 issue.
Covid Will Hit Harder This Winter Than It Did Last Summer
January 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
The threat of covid is far from over, as Stat reports the number of people hospitalized with covid in the U.S. is about to top the number seen in 2022’s summer spike, even as flu and RSV are reportedly declining. But the spotlight is now on new covid variant XBB.1.5, already spreading fast.
CDC Predicts Soaring Youth Diabetes Rates
January 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning about the rate of diabetes among young Americans, with predictions of 220,000 people under 20 having type 2 diabetes in 2060. Bloomberg notes that the U.S. has made “scant” progress in treating the disease.